Center for the Arts

Gallery Exhibitions

I Wish That I Had Spoken Only of It All: 20 Years of Sheryl Oring’s I Wish to Say

With backgrounds in journalism and fine art, Sheryl Oring began her ongoing project I Wish to Say in 2004 from a concern that many people’s voices were not being heard. She started to take dictation from the public about what they wanted to say to the (next) President. Dressed as a 1960s secretary with a typewriter, she records whatever participants say onto a postcard, making copies with carbon paper. During larger events, a secretarial bank takes dictation. Oring mails the postcards to the White House and exhibits copies. To date she has mailed over 4100 postcards.

Gallery Exhibitions

Michael Anthony Donato: Angels & Devils

Michael Anthony Donato, a School of Visual Arts graduate, is an award-winning children’s book illustrator. His work on Squanto and the First Thanksgiving aired on Showtime and earned honors from the American Library Association. His illustrations for Tales Alive, a collection of global folktales, received a Parents’ Choice Award. Donato also collaborated with Simon & Schuster and the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Voyage Up the Nile. He currently teaches drawing and advanced painting at Monmouth University.

Artist Reception: October 18, 5-7 PM

Gallery Exhibitions

Mike Richison’s Election Collection: 2004-2024

Mike Richison’s Election Collection: 2004-2020 showcases 20 years of design and video art inspired by the presidential election cycle. Richison began working with this topic in 2004 when he created a short video loop of George W. Bush drinking water during the debates. This evolved into performances and interactive video projects that break down language into musical and abstract elements.

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 19, 2024, from 5:30-7:30pm

World Cinema Series

Court

A sewerage worker’s dead body is found inside a manhole in Mumbai. An ageing folk singer is tried in court on charges of abetment of suicide. He is accused of performing an inflammatory song which might have incited the worker to commit the act. As the trial unfolds, the personal lives of the lawyers and the judge involved in the case are observed outside the court.

Department of Music & Theatre Arts Productions

Theatre Fest Fall 2024 – Spark Sessions: A Night of Original Works by MU Players

Spark Sessions: A Night of Original Works by MU Players is an exciting event showcasing a collection of student-written one-act plays and poems. The event highlights the creativity and diverse voices of Monmouth’s emerging playwrights. 

Department of Music & Theatre Arts Productions

Theatre Fest Fall 2024 – Music and Theatre Collaboration: Celebrating Stephen Sondheim

Celebrating Sondheim is a vibrant musical tribute to Stephen Sondheim, one of the greatest composers in American musical theatre. Join us as Monmouth University’s talented music and theatre students perform a curated selection of his most iconic works. This unforgettable evening highlights Sondheim’s genius and celebrates the passion of those who bring his music to life.

The Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD

Tosca

Extraordinary soprano Lise Davidsen stars as the volatile diva Floria Tosca for her first time at the Met. David McVicar’s thrilling production also features tenor Freddie De Tommaso in his eagerly anticipated company debut as Tosca’s revolutionary lover, Cavaradossi, and powerhouse baritone Quinn Kelsey as the sadistic chief of police Scarpia. Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the electrifying score, which features some of Puccini’s most memorable melodies. This live cinema transmission is part of the Met’s award-winning Live in HD series, bringing opera to movie theaters across the globe.

Department of Music & Theatre Arts Productions

Theatre Fest Fall 2024 – Alpha Psi Omega Presents: To Be or Not to Be: Hamlet, an Abridged Staging

To Be or Not To Be: Hamlet, an Abridged Staging, performed exclusively by members of Alpha Psi Omega, Rho Rho Chapter. This organization consists of the elite members of the Monmouth University Music and Theatre Arts Department, who through their hard work and dedication qualified to join this national theatre honor society. Join us for an intimate, staged reading of a Shakespearean classic.

Department of Music & Theatre Arts Productions

Theatre Fest Fall 2024 – Musical Theatre Majors and Minors Showcase

The Musical Theatre Majors and Minors Showcase is a cabaret-style performance featuring some of Monmouth University’s best musical theatre performers. This showcase has a combination of musical theatre solos and group numbers showing the students’ vocal, acting, and dancing abilities. By attending this showcase, you will witness a group of musical theatre performers collaborating to not only create a one-night performance but also exemplify the future of the Monmouth University theatre program!

Performing Arts Series

The Wailin’ Jennys

Join us for a night of unforgettable folk music as The Wailin’ Jennys grace the stage at Pollak Theatre. From their humble beginnings in a tiny guitar shop to becoming one of today’s most beloved international folk acts, The Wailin’ Jennys have captured hearts around the world. Founding members Moody, Mehta, and Masse continue to impress with each critically acclaimed recording, elevating their music to new heights while thrilling audiences with their renowned live performances.

ArtNOW: Performance, Art, and Technology

Gallery Exhibitions

I Wish to Say Teach-In Series

This fall the DiMattio Gallery is hosting I Wish That I Had Spoken Only of It All, an exhibition of Sheryl Oring’s social practice project I Wish to Say and related works (https://www.monmouth.edu/mca/event/i-wish-that-i-had-spoken-only-of-it-all/). Part of our programming will be a teach-in series from MU faculty about topics related to themes that intersect with Oring’s project as art reaches across disciplinary bounds. These teach-ins will be free and open to the public.

ArtNOW: Performance, Art, and Technology

Gallery Exhibitions

I Wish to Say Teach-In Series

This fall the DiMattio Gallery is hosting I Wish That I Had Spoken Only of It All, an exhibition of Sheryl Oring’s social practice project I Wish to Say and related works (https://www.monmouth.edu/mca/event/i-wish-that-i-had-spoken-only-of-it-all/). Part of our programming will be a teach-in series from MU faculty about topics related to themes that intersect with Oring’s project as art reaches across disciplinary bounds. These teach-ins will be free and open to the public.

Adult Education Series

Words & Music

Brute Force

Monmouth University alumnus Stephen Friedland, known as Brute Force will perform a concert and participate in a Q & A with professor Ken Womack.

Art on Screen

Perugino: Eternal Renaissance

Perugino: Eternal Renaissance is a journey to discover Perugino, one of the most revered artists of the 15th Century and to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of his death. Journey through Italy to discover his great masterpieces, from the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel to the two rooms entirely dedicated to him in the National Gallery of Umbria. Spectators will be led on a guided discovery of the artist’s harmonious work: a perfect balance between man and nature, realism and idealism, as seen in paintings such as “The Delivery of the Keys” in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, “Lamentation over the Dead Christ” in the Galleria Palatina in Florence, the “Pietà” and “Agony in the Garden” in the Uffizi Gallery.

Grammy Museum Affiliation

Tuesday Night Record Club

Queen, A Night at the Opera

It’s just like book club but with albums! With new advances in technology, the way we consume music through our devices, apps and on demand streaming services like Pandora, Spotify and iTunes is making the idea of the “album” as an art form extinct. Get together with other music enthusiasts on Tuesday nights to discuss some of the greatest records of all-time! Listen to the album beforehand and then come prepared to discuss. This event will feature Queen, A Night at the Opera.

Adult Education Series

Bring in Da Funk, Part II

Parliament/Funkadelic’s George Clinton declared “we want the funk,” and by the mid-70s the genre was in full swing. On the R&B and pop charts as well as on the dance floor, funk had officially taken over. This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole covers the peak of the genre, its eventual decline in popularity, and its continuing influence. Artists examined include the Ohio Players, Stevie Wonder, Average White Band, Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Commodores, Cameo, Slave, Zapp and Roger, and many more. In addition, subgenres including go go, punk funk (coined by Rick James), funk rock, and Bay Area funk will be covered. The course includes multimedia presentations and class discussions.

Class Schedule: Thursdays - December 5 & 12 | 7:30 - 9:00 PM

Performing Arts Series

Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea

Embrace the joy and warmth of the season at the annual holiday concert with Father Alphonse Stevenson and the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea! This cherished tradition brings a 42-piece orchestra and exceptional soloists to Pollak Theatre with beloved carols and festive melodies. Be part of this heartwarming celebration and let the spirit of the season come alive through the power of music.

Limited tickets remain! Once the event is SOLD OUT please call the box office to be added to the waitlist, in case last minute tickets become available. 

Tuesday Night Book Club

Percival Everett, James

Join us for Tuesday Night Book Club! Hosted by Monmouth University’s Ken Womack. This month’s novel is Percival Everett’s James. AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR FOR 2024 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW • A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

Adult Education Series

Bring in Da Funk, Part II

Parliament/Funkadelic’s George Clinton declared “we want the funk,” and by the mid-70s the genre was in full swing. On the R&B and pop charts as well as on the dance floor, funk had officially taken over. This two-session virtual course taught by Kit O’Toole covers the peak of the genre, its eventual decline in popularity, and its continuing influence. Artists examined include the Ohio Players, Stevie Wonder, Average White Band, Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Commodores, Cameo, Slave, Zapp and Roger, and many more. In addition, subgenres including go go, punk funk (coined by Rick James), funk rock, and Bay Area funk will be covered. The course includes multimedia presentations and class discussions.

Class Schedule: Thursdays - December 5 & 12 | 7:30 - 9:00 PM

Adult Education Series

Adult Education Series: Christmas Time Is Hear Again

From 1963 to 1969, the Beatles sent Christmas messages on flexidiscs to their US and UK fan clubs. In 1970, a compilation of these messages was sent out, and they were re-released as a collector’s set in 2017. Join SCOTT FREIMAN and KEN WOMACK for a one-session virtual course to explore this unique aspect of the Beatles’ history.

Class Schedule: Thursday, December 19 | 7:30 - 9:00 PM